The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries is asking recreational anglers to donate Gulf Flounder carcasses during the 2026 spring fishing season, which runs from March 9 to March 22 in ocean waters from Portsmouth Island to the South Carolina border. The collected carcasses will be used for research.
Recreational fishermen who provide legally harvested Gulf Flounder carcasses and fill out a required catch-card (one person per fish, per card) will have a chance to win one of five tackle bags with fishing gear. Each person can win only one prize. Supplies and catch-cards are available at each donation site, and all information on the card must be completed accurately for eligibility.
Eight freezer locations have been set up for donations:
– Cape Pointe Marina, Harkers Island
– Chasin Tails Outdoors Bait & Tackle, Atlantic Beach
– N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Headquarters, Morehead City
– Pelagic Hunter, Sneads Ferry
– Tex’s Tackle, Wilmington
– Carolina Beach Municipal Docks, Carolina Beach
– Clem’s Seafood, Southport
– Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Ocean Isle Beach
When preparing fish for donation, anglers should leave the head and tail intact and keep the guts or reproductive organs if possible. Those fishing on charter or head boats should inform the fish cleaner about their intent to donate.
Division biologists will use donated samples to measure the fish, determine sex when possible, and extract otoliths (ear bones) for age analysis. This data aims to improve knowledge about Gulf Flounder populations in North Carolina.
The spring season allows anglers to keep one Gulf Flounder per person per day with a minimum size limit of 15 inches total length. Harvested fish brought back from federal waters must comply with North Carolina regulations. Further details are available in Proclamation FF-13-2026.
Anglers seeking help identifying Gulf Flounder can consult resources on the Division’s Flounder Identification webpage or check answers on the Spring Gulf Flounder Season Frequently Asked Questions page.
Donated carcasses still need to be reported under new state law requiring harvest reporting for flounder and other species such as Striped Bass and Red Drum.
A future announcement regarding a fall fishing season is expected later this year.
The Department of Environmental Quality serves as North Carolina’s state agency responsible for regulating natural resources across air, land, water, and coastal environments statewide (official website). The agency also supports public education efforts and promotes science-based environmental stewardship throughout North Carolina (official website). Its central office is located at 217 West Jones Street in Raleigh (official website).
For more information about North Carolina’s Carcass Collection program contact Amanda Macek at 252-515-5537 or amanda.macek@deq.nc.gov.
